BROCKTON – Adelina Nunes stood up from a church pew Friday morning, walked to her son’s white casket and placed both hands on top as she sobbed.

A friend in another pew quickly stood up next to her, hugged her and wiped tears from her eyes with a tissue.

Nunes was grieving the death of her 12-year-old son Nazaire Nunes-Escobar, who was tragically killed on his birthday, Thursday, Aug. 14, when he was struck by a tractor-trailer in Brockton.

Nunes was surrounded by hundreds of family members and friends at St. Edith Stein Parish in Brockton on Friday during her son’s wake and funeral Mass.

Wails of anguish echoed off the walls inside the church as people lined the aisles to pay respects to Nazaire and offer condolences to Nunes and the rest of her family.

The grieving mother gathered her strength to hug and shake the hand of every person who went through the line.

It’s something a mother should never have to go through, Father Carlos Suarez said.

“There’s always pain when we have to let go of a loved one from this world. But it hurts even more so when it’s such a young person,” Suarez told the congregation. “It’s not the way things should be. A mother should not have to bury her child. It’s the other way it should be.”

Suarez said people are right to be saddened, confused and angered by Nazaire’s death. Nazaire, he said, is now a saint, and people should use his death as a way to strengthen their relationship with God.

After Suarez spoke, Nazaire’s 6-year-old sister, Mya Depina, sang the song “I Love You,” – from the children’s television show “Barney & Friends” – into a microphone.

When the Mass ended, several of Nazaire’s family members surrounded his casket and carried it down the front steps of the church.

Michael Depina, who helped carry the casket, was wearing a white T-shirt with a picture of Nazaire on the front.

Depina is Nazaire’s cousin, and his 8-year-old son, Jordan Depina, were best friends.

“It’s hard because we love him,” Michael Depina, 30, said crying. “He was always happy, smiling. He was a jokester.”

“We did everything. It was us three amigos on the weekends, playing sports, going to his football games, going fishing, going to the Cape for the weekend,” Depina said.

He said his family is taking Nazaire’s death day by day and told his son Jordan, “He’s gone to the angels. He’s watching over us.”

Page 2 of 2 - Carol McGrath also attended the service. She was Nazaire’s principal at Raymond Elementary School in Brockton from when he was in kindergarten.

“The whole Raymond School community is grieving the loss of Nazaire,” McGrath said. “He had a beautiful smile, he was a fun-loving boy and we just all feel this very deeply.”

McGrath said she has been in contact with Nazaire’s family members, neighbors and fellow students at the Raymond school since his death.

“No words can describe how tough it is and how badly everybody feels,” she said. “We’re all going to stick together.”

A miles-long procession was led by police from the church to Calvary Cemetery on North Cary Street in Brockton, where he was laid to rest.

In tears, with family members at her side, Nunes placed a white rose atop Nazaire’s casket.

After the burial service, people took turns releasing white and gold balloons and watching them float into the air.